Description

Solid climbing up huecos and patina for two pitches, with good exposure and comfy belays. The first pitch is the more dififcult, mainly due to the route-finding challenges. Finding the "5.6" start may be tricky as there are several slightly more difficult ways to start. Also, the protection on the first 30-40 ft is not all that obvious, sometimes relying on the small gaps between patina plates. The second pitch is much more straightforward, following the obvious hand-sized crack for half a pitch. When the crack ends, an exposed traverse to the right leads to a ledge, from which one can scramble up to the top.

A beginner leader should take this route fairly seriously, as the protection is not obvious. However, there are plenty of good stances, and as long as you can be creative with your pro, you'll enjoy this route.

Location

The Cakewalk buttress is one of the first large walls seen when approaching from the parking lot. It is recognizable by the hand-crack on the second pitch, and a faint water-streak on the lower pitch. The start is on the right side of some boulders at the base of the wall. The grotto to the left is where the classic route Flake Roof is found. 30 ft to the right is a large chimney called Bitchin Chimney.

Protection

Small wires helpful throughout the route. Also shallow cam placments and a few tri-cams come in handy. Nig stuff will fit in the hand-crack on the second pitch, but you can do without it just as well. A two-bolt belay is located on a ledge 130 ft up at the top of Cakewalk Direct. A second two-bolt belay is another 70 ft up just beneath the crack. There is a bolt just below the second anchors which protects an exposed move to reach the anchors. No gear at the top.

The descent is somewhat confusing, the first time you top out one of these routes.

Descent: From the top of CakeWalk (after the traverse right), scramble up and over a big chockstone in a corridor behind you. At the end of this corridor downclimb on a steep but easy hueco-covered face into a deeper gash, and scramble east out the other side. Walk down slabs to the north, aiming for the pond (Laguna Prieta). From the top of 'Son of CW', you may need to rappel/downclimb a short hueco'd face on the south side of the summit block to get into the first corridor just past the chockstone.

No big deal, but 5.6 climbers might need some help, or routefind carefully.

our descent went like this. from George's description above, after scrambling up the big chockstone and seeing the corridor, continue up and right (east/SE) on a class 4ish move up a short wide crack. Then on top, walk east to gain the slabs and head towards mopboysV6.